I Am Now Working Part-Time – Michael Dennis, CBF

I was talking to a friend of mine recently at an industry credit group meeting. He told me over lunch that he was now working half days. I congratulated him. He told me his comment was meant as a joke and that half-days meant he was working 12 hours a day, every day. He explained that his credit team had shrunk by 50% over the last 2 years because senior management would not approve job requisitions as people left the credit department.

He has been working at least 60 hours a week for more than a year, and told me it was taking a toll on his family life and probably his health. I asked what he planned to do differently, and he told me that in this economy he felt lucky to have a job… but that if a better opportunity presented itself then he would certainly consider it.

In my opinion and in my experience, job opportunities rarely present themselves. People normally change jobs after an extensive job search. The math works something like this: For every 100 jobs you apply to, you will receive perhaps 10 responses. For every 10 responses, you are likely to become a finalist for one of those ten jobs on average.

Michael Dennis, MBA, CBF, LCM

My advice was for him to either (a) change his present working conditions starting with a candid face to face discussion with his manager, or (b) change his employer through an active job search. After all, all he has to lose was his health and /or his marriage.

When you are stretched to the max at work what approach(es) do you take to reduce your stress level and the impact on your personal life?

The opinions presented are those of the author. The opinions and recommendations do not necessarily reflect the views of CMA, or their Officers and Directors. Readers are encouraged to evaluate any suggestions or recommendations made, and accept and adopt only those concepts that make sense to them.

When you are working 60 hours a week you often times cannot see the forest through the trees. Take a few days off, sit back, evaluate, and look at the big picture (the forest) and then go after that opportunity. In my experience opportunities do not usually just present themselves – you much chase it, go after it, and often times create it!

I have a suggestion that might not seem business savvy, but I would pray if I were in this person’s position. I would pray for the success of a candid conversation with the boss and for his/her eyes to be opened to the seriousness and to fairness of the situation at hand (we are after all people who have a life outside of work). I would also pray that if this is not where God wants me to be, help open that door to a better opportunity that can bring peace to me as well as my family. You never know- perhaps in this stressful situation, God is prompting you to rely on Him to ask for a better way out and one that can bless you and your family.
Just another way to look at the situation. 🙂